Switzerland returns ancient bust to Lebanon

GENEVA – Swiss authorities said they returned to Beirut Monday an ancient marble bust of a young man that was robbed during illegal excavations in southern Lebanon.

Robbed in 1981 from an archeological site in Sidon, Lebanon, the fourth century AD bust was caught when an art collection was reviewed ahead of an auction, the Swiss culture office said in a statement.

The collector was apparently unaware of the fraud and the bust was returned Monday to the Lebanese embassy in Switzerland.

[AFP / Expatica]